2013 / Deckbuilding card game / 2 players / USA
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I hadn't planned on buying more Ascension when I opted for this budget starter as a sort of tribute to my time spent on the virtual game, and a way to introduce it to anyone unfortunate enough to cross my path. But those coquettish eBay sirens would soon come calling and render it superfluous in the collection.
If you view this as the generous, no-frills introduction to the game that was presumably intended, its folded plastic 'board' and ugly cardboard counters are considerate concessions to budget, and it easily gives you more cards per pound than any canonical set.
But then you make the mistake of looking up one of those proper sets, with their rigid boards and bloody jewels for counters (to really rub it in), and this feels more like a cunning ploy to draw newcomers in and make them upgrade out of shame.
It probably worked. I'll see if I can salvage most of these cards in my proper set when it arrives, unless that upsets the balance. I've given the counters to my toddler as play money. She hoards them like a dragon.
